


Caught

by run_sure_footed



Series: Mod Froglets [5]
Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: Child Abuse, Harris survived childhood but just barely, Jamack is an idiot, Threats, Violence, also Harris loves math, straight up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28922187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/run_sure_footed/pseuds/run_sure_footed
Summary: A misadventure with young Jamack and Harris.
Series: Mod Froglets [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2061339
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Caught

**Author's Note:**

> thissssss story is really sad so we're posting another one this week too, to not end on a low note.

“J, are you _sure_ you want to do this? We’ll get in _big_ trouble if we get caught,” H whispered. Usually it was J talking _him_ out of doing things, but J got wild ideas sometimes and it was almost impossible to talk him out of them. J was stubborn, which was a good quality in a Froglet, but it also made him a major pain in H’s ass. It was too bad he didn’t have K to back him up, but she was on an overnight trip away from the Pond. It would be their turn in a few days. With any luck, their snooping wouldn’t be noticed until then—or better yet, not at all—and they wouldn’t be suspects because they weren’t there.

“Come on, aren’t you curious?” J was. He was almost desperate at this point. He’d heard an older Frog mention going to the Boss’ office to make a report and ever since he’d been consumed with the need to go there and see the place where she ruled over the Pond. She was terrifying, and—to Froglets—an almost mythical Frog. They rarely saw her, even at a distance. She had control of every Frog in the Pond, power over a huge territory in Las Vistas. J wanted that one day. “Plus, I hear she keeps chocolate in her desk,” he said, trying to tempt H into backing him up.

“No, I’m—” But the C word shut H up. He’d only had chocolate once. J had won a piece for something at school, and he’d given some to H and to K. H suspected J had given away more than he’d kept, which was stupid of him, but H still remembered that _taste_. He’d kept the wrapper and hidden it in his bed. Sometimes, when he was _sure_ no one else was watching him, not even J, he would pull it out and just _smell_ it. The scent was fading—might be entirely in his head by now—but the memory of that sweet richness melting on his tongue, like nothing he’d ever tasted before or since… Like a dream he’d never even had coming true.

H would do _anything_ to get more chocolate.

“If you’re lying about this, I’m going to kill you,” H told him flatly.

J grinned at him from where they were hidden, under some of the thick wild greenery that grew on top of the Boss’ office building. The bottom of the building was really something like a lobby, just a place to wait before you saw the Boss. J knew this from poking his head around the corner of the door once. Though older Froglets were allowed more access to the general Pond, they were still discouraged—sometimes violently—from getting in the way. J had hoped just that single look would satisfy his curiosity, that he’d be able to see where the Boss worked, but it was all Flies and a couple of waiting Frogs.

J and H were silent for awhile until they heard the door below them open and close. That was the last Frog in the office, he was certain, and J wasn’t worried about the Flies, they’d be with the Boss. “Let’s go!”

They slid down over the edge of the roof, J clinging to a few vines to help keep him from slipping down the sheer building. The window wasn’t far down and they were in before anyone could spot them and raise an alarm.

H flattened himself against the wall as soon as his feet hit the carpeted floor. Not that it would do any good—his enormous red eyes stood out like illuminated brakelights wherever he went.

Satisfied that they were alone, H stepped away from the window and held out his hand. “Chocolate,” he hissed. He’d never listened so hard in his life. Every sound—each leaf blowing in the wind, each splash from the Pond—was someone coming for them. His tympana hurt from straining them. He at least wanted to enjoy some chocolate if he was going to be waiting in terror.

“Let’s look.” J grinned, delighted to have succeeded. The office was beautiful, surprisingly plush. There was a staircase leading down to the lobby, and a door on the far wall. J tried the handle and found it locked. Of course it was locked, she probably kept all kinds of secret things in there!

The next thing that drew his attention was the massive desk and all its drawers, practically calling out for him to snoop through them.

“Are we really doing this?” H asked, giving J—and himself—one last chance to back out.

“We can’t back out now,” J whispered. “Come on, don’t you want to see?” He opened the top drawer, temptingly. It was neat as a pin: a letter opener, envelopes, papers and pens. J had seen very little paper to write on in his life. It was incredibly prized.

He stroked it carefully. He wanted to take some, but he knew if he started stealing just _anything_ he found, he was more likely to get caught. They were only going to steal a sliver of chocolate—if they found any.

H stretched to his full height—slightly taller than J—to look over J’s shoulder. “Look. A _calculator_.” H had heard of them, but he’d never seen one before. “D’you think it works?” he asked, then answered his own question. “Of course it does, or why would the Boss keep it?” He bit his lip, doing another quick scan of the room—without having to move his head, one of the things that made him a good lookout. “Try it. See if it turns on.” H’s hunger for the instrument was almost as strong as his desire for chocolate—he’d be able to go through so many _big_ numbers, so quickly! There wouldn’t be a problem he couldn’t solve!

J grinned, touching the buttons. A zero appeared on the little screen and he squirmed with delight. “It works,” he murmured, punching in a few difficult equations excitedly.

 _“Wow.”_ H’s hand twitched as he tried to resist pocketing the little machine. “How d’you think it knows _everything_? Did it have to learn?” Could _he_ eventually learn enough that he’d be as good as the calculator?

“I don’t know,” J admitted, tilting his head. _Did_ it have to learn? He turned it off and closed the drawer carefully so as not to disturb anything. He opened the next one.

“Yeah, I need to check something on the Boss’ map,” a voice called from downstairs.

H’s enormous eyes got even wider, and he stared helplessly at J, silently pleading with him to save them. They had—as far as he saw it; J might see a lot more—two options: hide under the desk or try to go out the window. But, if the Frog coming up the stairs was talking to someone _downstairs_ , there was a good chance they’d get seen coming out the window whether they went up or down.

J closed the drawer as silently as he could, exchanging a look of terror with his friend. He moved the wheeled chair away from the desk and slipped underneath, pulling H with him by his hand. He pulled the chair back in as close as he could get it. He held his breath, one hand holding H’s and the other clutching the chair.

The Froglets heard an adult Frog walk past the desk, and H was horrified to discover that the map was behind the desk, so the Frog was standing just in front of them, almost close enough to touch—if he’d been completely insane. Which he must be, because he was here in the first place! And he hadn’t even gotten any chocolate.

He felt his throat sac inflate and he desperately fought down a croak while trying to be absolutely silent and still. His hand tightened on J’s.

J and H held their breath until the Frog headed back in the direction of the stairs. His body flooding with relief, J squeezed H’s hand back, and gently released the chair.

The chair spun, slowly. J’s heart stopped.

The Frog whirled at the tiny sound behind him. “Hey. Who’s in here?” He stalked closer to the desk, where the chair was still moving.

 _“Run or stay?”_ H signed, so quickly that he wasn’t sure if J would even understand him.

J stuffed down his panic. He signed, “ _Stay,”_ to H, but he pushed out the chair and stood up. He met the adult’s eyes fearfully. He didn’t know what to say, afraid he’d only anger this Frog further, no matter what he did.

Startled, the Frog’s tongue lashed out, wrapping around J and the chair. His eyes widened with surprise when he saw what he’d caught. _“Stay!”_ he signed vigorously while he quickly untangled his tongue from the Froglet and the chair. Once he was free, he clamped a hand on the Froglet’s shoulder. “What the fuck are you doing in here?” He couldn’t keep a note of wonder out of his voice—the sheer _audacity_ to sneak into the Boss’ private office! “You’re J, aren’t you?”

Most adult Mod Frogs had to teach Froglets at least a little. The work was shared between them so Froglets could learn a wide variety of skills and emulate the most successful Frogs, without those Mod Frogs being pulled away from their work outside the Pond too often. J cursed himself for constantly speaking up with instructors; a lot of them were starting to remember him. He’d often been proud that a lot of Mod Frogs could recognize him, that he’d made a bit of a name for himself, but now it just seemed bad. Not that the Frog not knowing his name would have saved him from any punishment, but… it might have helped. “Yes, sir,” he squeaked. “I just wanted to look!” That was the best excuse he could come up with.

“You just wanted _a_ _look_ ,” the Frog repeated, shaking his head and trying not to grin. He cleared his throat and said gruffly, “You’re going to get a hell of a punishment for this.”

H narrowed his eyes. He couldn’t just sit there and let J take all the blame! Even if it was all his fault. He had to be _brave_ if he ever wanted to become a full Mod Frog. He hopped out from behind the desk, practically glaring at the older Frog. “It’s not just him!” he shouted, going to stand behind J.

“Fuck—!” The Frog managed to stop himself before admitting a Froglet had just startled him. His expression turned from poorly concealed amusement to disgust when he saw who the second Froglet was. “It’s a regular infestation. Of course _you’d_ be here,” he snarled at the red-eyed freak. “J, you go.” He released J and grabbed the freak by both shoulders instead. “ _You_ stay here. The Boss is going to hear about this, that’s for sure. Should’ve known you’d be involved. I don’t know why they kept you. You’re just dragging J down with you. You should’ve been chopped up for dragonfly meat when you first slithered out of the Pond.”

J gave H a horrified look when he came out. This wasn’t going to make this better! Why had he wasted J’s sacrifice? J knew how most Mod Frogs treated H, knew that he was punished more viciously and held to a higher standard than other Froglets. H had to prove himself to be above and beyond the other Froglets for their instructors to consider him worth keeping alive. He shook his head, looking between the Frog and H. He didn’t want to leave him here. He was terrified of what this adult might do to H if he left.

“Go on, J. I’m letting you leave. I’m sure it was all his fault, right?” The Frog shook H like a fighting-practice dummy. “You should stay the hell away from him. He’s already dead, he just doesn’t know it. You don’t want his weight to bring _you_ down when he finally drops.”

He shook his head again, mutely. He was too afraid to speak up, not sure what he’d say anyways.

“Get! Or it’ll be worse for him,” the Frog shouted, stunned that a Froglet seemed to be standing up to him—and for the sake of a freak!

Completely stiff with terror, H managed to send a quick nod in J’s direction before he closed his eyes.

It took J a few frantic breaths before he could figure out how to move, and then he was running. He couldn’t seem to remember how he’d gotten out, what route he’d taken, but when he was finally properly aware of his surroundings again he was gasping for breath, tucked away in one of the big pink lilies that grew by the lily pads. H and him had been using this one since it had bloomed and revealed a space just barely big enough for two Froglets to hide in. He was shaking and he couldn’t seem to catch his breath. There were tears on his face and he wiped them away angrily. He couldn’t remember if anyone had seen him on his way here. His heart had been pounding so loud he felt like it was drumming directly against his tympana.

J curled up in the flower, miserably, and tried not to think about what might happen to H. This was all his fault.

*

The sun set and the lily began to close for the night. J was forced to go into the dormitories before he got caught outside after curfew. H wasn’t in his bed. He waited up until well past curfew, listening for H’s footsteps. He finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.

He woke at the sound of the sentry who watched over the Froglets at night calling them awake to go down to eat. J had fallen asleep in his clothes. He groaned, knowing that he looked dishevelled and too unhappy to want to fuss over how he looked, but he knew better than to step outside looking anything less than neat and ready.

After cleaning himself up, J joined the throng of Froglets headed towards the dining hall. He kept an eye out for H, but even though he was so easy to spot with his big red eyes, J didn’t see him. He couldn’t bring himself to eat, so instead he went out to check the hiding places him and H had. First he looked on the roof of the dormitories, where they’d made a little nest in some of the greenery where they couldn’t be spotted. It was empty. Next was the lily. It was still opening with the morning sun and the angle of the petals made it harder to climb into.

H quickly clapped a hand over his mouth when he heard movement outside the flower. He didn’t want to be caught, and he _especially_ didn’t want to be caught crying.

J nearly fell into the centre of the lily, practically on top of H. With a soft cry he wrapped his arms around his friend, trying desperately to contain his tears. “You’re ok!”

“Go ’way!” H sniffed, blindly lashing out at J. He could barely see through his tears, and one of his eyes was swollen almost shut.

J let him go, suddenly realizing that he was probably hurting him. “I’m sorry,” he hiccuped, “I’m so sorry.”

“Shut up. Go away.” H curled up in the smallest possible ball, even though it hurt. He didn’t want J to see him like this, never mind anyone else. He’d get in trouble for missing curfew and class and…however long he’d need to stay here until he was sure he had himself completely under control, but it wouldn’t be as bad as his punishment for sneaking into the office. He just had to curl up and wait, but J being there _wasn’t helping_.

“Why didn’t you just stay hidden?” J asked, looking away from H and wiping his eyes.

H tried to stay silent, but it wasn’t in his nature. After a few seconds he blurted, “I wanted to be brave, like you!” He’d meant to say that he didn’t want just J to get in trouble, but that wasn’t the real reason. “I wanted to show you I’m…” He shrugged, wincing as the movement hurt him.

J shifted over in the flower, tugging H gently over so he could lie down with his head in J’s lap. “You are brave,” he said softly. “I was so scared,” he admitted, voice dropping to a whisper.

H settled in with him, and he had to admit—if only to himself—that he _was_ more comfortable curled up with J. “ _You_ were scared?” he asked, very softly.

He nodded. He had been scared when he’d been caught, but it had been far scarier to see the Mod Frog grab H. “Can I help?”

“I’m not brave,” H insisted quietly. He shook his head. “What are you _doing_ out here, anyway? You’re gonna get in trouble too.”

“You are. You stood up to him. And I was looking for you.” J stroked his hand over the top of H’s head, avoiding his eye carefully. “I’ll keep watch if you want to sleep.” H looked hurt, certainly, but he also looked exhausted.

“You’re dumb.” The last word was almost swallowed by a yawn. “Why were you looking for me?”

“I was worried, dummy.”

“…About me?”

“Yeah!”

“Well…you’re dumb.” H was much too tired and hurt to think of something more clever so he wouldn’t repeat himself.

“Yeah, I know,” J humoured him.

“You’re not going away, are you?” H sighed.

“Do you want me to?” he asked, quietly.

“I didn’t say that,” H retorted, without actually answering the question.

“Then no.”

H sighed again, even more deeply this time. “Then I guess you can stay.”

J let H rest, alert to every sound around them, but his eyes on H. “We’ll always take care of each other,” he murmured as H started to drift off.

**Author's Note:**

> we headcanon that after patrols, adult Mod Frogs have to write reports about them. and when the underfrogs write reports, Jamack does the writing, and Harris does the math. (Kwat refers to maps and can draw things to scale, but mostly those skills aren't needed for reports so she gets out of writing them a lot)


End file.
